


Approved Snuggle List

by tarialdarion



Series: The Avengers Menagerie [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky's Bunny Brigade, Fluff, M/M, ridiculous names for bunnies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-07-19 23:24:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7381687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tarialdarion/pseuds/tarialdarion





	Approved Snuggle List

It was well-known that Bucky was protective of his bunny brigade.

Clint liked to say that Bucky was weird and imprinted on the rabbits. Clint was not on the Approved Snuggle List.

Steve knew that Bucky didn’t like to share and had problems that made the rest of them look well-adjusted due to Hydra’s misuse of his brain. The bunny brigade was slowly helping him to become softer, open up more and if that included a bit of overprotective/helicopter mom behavior? Well, the Avengers could handle it.

Sam understood it as trust issues; Bucky didn’t feel totally comfortable around the Avengers yet. He still woke up every night terrified that everything was taken from him and this was all a dream. Cuddling the bunnies with Sam’s arm wrapped around his waist and comforting words whispered into his ear was his reminder of the new reality and Bucky was never going to lose it, not if he had anything to say about it.

One morning, Tony woke up and carefully extracted his face from where it was nuzzled into Steve’s neck. Steve didn’t move as he stretched lazily, yawning and running a hand through his normally stylish hair that was mussed and flattened adorably. He felt the pull of well-used muscles and smirking at the thought of last night. They had both agreed that last night and this morning would be just for them: no early morning runs, no wandering to the workshop, no panicking about the future. Just the two of them together sleeping in and basking in the early morning light casting a glow through the room. Sitting up and blinking sleepily, Tony reached for his StarkPad laying on the bedside table and whispered, “Morning, Gizmo.” to the pile of fur at the end of the bed.

He stopped and looked again. Pile of fur? He blinked, tired eyes focusing, and suddenly started poking Steve in the side, wincing when the muscles were unyielding under his insistent finger. Steve mumbled, turning on his side and snuggling into Tony, half-heartedly waving a hand. “Lemme sleep.” His voice was muffled by the pillow and Tony’s thigh.

Tony pulled at Steve’s arm uselessly. “Steeeeeeve, you _have_ to see this.” He insisted. Steve pushed himself up on an elbow, his glare melting when he saw what Tony was pointing at.

Gizmo was sleeping curled up at the foot of their bed, as usual, but she was surrounded by 6 fluffy bunnies who had decided she was perfect for facilitating a snuggle-fest. Her nose resting on the fluffy ears of one bunny while another was sprawled out over her back legs. The others were curled up around her in a large pile of cute.

“I think if I didn’t have the reactor, my heart would literally explode from how adorable this is.” Tony whispered, clutching at his heart dramatically. Steve chuckled, sitting up against the headboard and wrapping an arm around Tony’s waist to pull him back against his chest and dropping a loving kiss into the messy dark hair.

Gizmo raised her hair at the movement and gave them both a baleful look. She yawned, stretching her paws into one of the bunnies’ side (possibly Snowball; it was hard to tell them apart) and the bunny shifted with a small sound.

Tony abruptly stilled from where he was tracing a pattern on Steve’s thigh. “Oh no.” he said, sitting straight up, the sheets pooling around his waist.

“What?” Steve asked, still learning against the headboard, his fingers curling around Tony’s hip, fingertips dipping beneath the sheets to tease at his hipbone.

“Bucky.” was all Tony had to say before Steve understood, abruptly ceasing his teasing and pulling himself upright.

“Do you think he’s noticed?” Steve was looking apprehensively between the door and the bunnies when the door burst open to admit a Very Annoyed Bucky and a sheepish looking Sam.

“I think he’s noticed.” Tony whispered and Steve stifled a laugh in Tony’s shoulder.

“You two,” Bucky stated, pointing an accusing finger at the couple on the bed. “are NOT on the Approved Snuggle List.” Steve held up a placating hand, keeping a straight face with no small amount of effort.

“It’s not our fault! We were asleep!” Bucky huffed, unconvinced by Steve’s defensive plea and swooped down to father most of the still sleeping bunnies in his arms. Sam followed with an apologetic look and mouthing, “I’m sorry; he’s cranky.” while he picked up the other two. Bucky sashayed out of the room, softly crooning at the sleepy bunnies in his hands. He only stopped long enough to call, “It better not happen again!” as the door slammed shut behind him and Sam.

Tony was the first to speak. “Well. At least he didn’t kill us.”

“We live in a Tower full of crazy people.” Steve laughed, collapsing back on the pillows and pulling Tony down onto his chest.

“Mmm.” Tony hummed, burrowing into Steve’s side and entangling their legs. “But we didn’t die. And that, my dear, is what’s most important.”

Steve quirked his mouth in amusement and let his hand start drifting down Tony’s side to his hip again. “In fact,” Tony looked up, eyes twinkling. “I have a few ideas about how we can celebrate our continued survival.”

“Oh?” Steve murmured, eyes dipping down to watch Tony’s full lips curl into a smirk.

“Oh.” Tony agreed, surging up to capture Steve’s lips in a soft kiss full of promise.

* * *

It happened again. Somehow, in the span of a few hours, Bucky’s bunnies and Gizmo had imprinted and were now _inseparable_ , much to Bucky’s annoyance. Tony made constant jokes about letting your little ones be free from the nest and meeting the in-laws.

“Aww, look, Barnes!” He cooed when he wandered in during breakfast one morning, gesturing to the fluffy ball of snuggles on the couch. “We’re going to be in-laws!” Steve had choked on his coffee, dragging Tony out of the area before Bucky could launch himself over the table.

“What?” The whole team could hear Tony protesting. “So everyone else is allowed to mess with the bunnies but I’m not?” Steve’s response was lost as everyone froze, slowly turning to see how Bucky would respond to this new bit of information. He frowned, flicking his eyes around the table and pursing his lips.

“What have you been doing to my bunnies?” He asked, his face impassive and frustratingly unrevealing. Natasha’s lips twitched but otherwise, she met his stare and gave nothing away. Bruce got up from the table saying, “I want you to know I had no part in this.” and wandered away, probably looking for Tony. Bucky caught Thor and Clint exchanging a Look and pointed at them accusingly.

“You two know something.” He demanded and Thor shook his head a little too quickly.

“No, we most certainly are unaware of the incidents in question.” He reassured Bucky. Sam raised his eyebrows.

“Oh? So you and Clint are not the proud creators of the AvengePets Instagram?”

“Sam!” Clint hissed, darting a look over at Bucky. “This is why you are not included in things!”

Bucky’s brows drew together in confusion. “Explain.” He commanded and Sam sighed, pulling out his phone.

“Clint and Thor found the bunnies cuddling with Gizmo again the other day on their way to mess with my gerbils again.” He explained, pulling up the Instagram app and navigating to a particular profile. “They found it so cute that they started taking pictures and posting it on social media. Some genius thought it would be a good idea to sneak the bunnies out and pose them with some of the other pets. For ‘aesthetic appeal’.”

“The pictures were popular!” Clint piped up, ignoring the exasperated sigh Sam directed towards him. “We had to keep our fans happy and it’s not our fault that your bunnies like cuddling things.”

Bucky looked down at the phone Sam was pushing into his hand and saw dozens and dozens of pictures of Snowball, Beatrix, Cheetos, Dr. Cottontail (the kid at the shelter insisted that he was a bunny doctor), and Baroness Brownie von Marshmallowsocks. There were some of the bunnies frolicking with the gerbils, some of Liho watching the bunnies from behind the door, and even some of Steve laughing as the puppies barked and tripped around the group of bunnies who were steadfastly ignoring the overeager canines. The pictures were adorable and indeed quite popular as many people followed the account, commenting about the level of cuteness in each picture and admiring the different Avengers’ pets.

Bucky cocked his head, considering. A slow smile spread over his face and he looked up at the group. “I bet if we work together, we can hack into Stark’s systems and get the brigade down to pose with the chinchillas before he even notices.” Natasha looked thrilled.

“I’ve been waiting for this day.” She said, bringing a flash drive out of her pocket and plugging into a StarkPad. The rest of the team blinked at her and then quickly began to draw up a battle plan.

The effort was totally worth Tony’s unrestrained laughter when he saw the pictures of his chinchillas and the bunny brigade climbing all over the Avengers in the chinchilla pen (It was AvengePets’ most popular picture to date).


End file.
